An Emptiness Explored

Produced by: Jessica Sheldon

Coaches: Nicole WerbeckSeth Siditsky

The cracks and stains on the walls of my grandfather’s home in Canton, NY, mark 47 years of memories, from raising seven children, to refinishing found antiques, to keeping his wife’s memory alive. Although Robert John Sheldon died over a year ago, I still find hints of him in every room I enter: a light on in the bedroom, his favorite chair, my grandmother Jean’s vintage bottles still sitting in the window. Wherever he was, he is.

An Emptiness Explored by Jessica Sheldon

Birch bark scraps and handwritten signs are a few things that can be found the in the workshop in Saranac Lake once frequented by my grandfather. Saranac Lake is a home away from home to my grandfather and family. It's a place that brings back memories of the summer.

Shortly after my grandfather becoming the first athlete to earn five letters in one year, Oswego High School had to change the rules so students could focus more on academics. Always the athlete, my grandfather turned that passion into a career coaching and as an athletic director.

My grandmother's cross still sits on a shelf in the kitchen. After being married for 53 years and widowed for 12, my grandfather kept most of her items close by.

Stuck in another time and era, my grandparents house was a constant anchor for 60 years of memories.

The infamous wall leading up to the stairs holds decades of photos of almost every family member. One person in the immediate family is missing, my cousin Pat, who always mentions it when he vists.

Everyone has their favorite spots, and my grandfather had his when it came time to watch television.

Sections of imperfect wallpaper carry memories throughout the house.

Athough Christmas only falls once a year, the quilt my grandmother made sits out year round.

Going from store to store, and sometimes enlisting the help of her children, my grandmother was an avid collector of antiques. So much so that almost every window in the house is still decorated with the bottles she worked hard to find, even after her passing in 2004.

Although both have passed, my grandparents' presence can still be seen in the bedroom they shared for most of their marriage.

An Emptiness Explored

Produced by: Jessica Sheldon

Coaches: Nicole WerbeckSeth Siditsky

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